MAM
Abbys 2022: Five more industry doyens join the jury chair
Mumbai: The Abbys award governing council has assembled a power packed jury chair, rounding it out with five more industry veterans. They include Carlton D’Silva, Paresh Chaudhry, Praveen Someshwar, Rajat Ojha and Rekha Nigam, who have joined the jury chair this year.
House of Awe and Musemakers Marketing Services co-founder Carlton D’Silva
After a long stint at Hungama, Carlton now oversees the development of Film Marketing in House of Awe and Brand Marketing in Musemakers. Awards won include Cannes Lions, The Abbys, Kyoorius, Olive Crown Awards, New York Ad Festival.
Value 360 group executive director Paresh Chaudhry
Paresh heads Value 360, India’s fastest growing and the most awarded PR agency. He was formerly group president and chief brand custodian at RIL. Paresh has judged at the Cannes Lions and Abbys, ET Brand Equity and Sabre Asia. Paresh is the founder president of the Indian Forum of Corporate Communicators (IFCC)
HT Media Group MD & CEO Praveen Someshwar
Someshwar is busy transforming HT into a new-age media group, with digital initiatives and innovation being the driving forces. Under his leadership, HT Media Group is well on course to become a digital first organisation, creating multiple agile business units focusing on new niche domains. Praveen was earlier with Pepsico heading their North and South East Asia businesses.
Gamitronics CEO Rajat Ojha
A passionate techie, Ojha has worked at Hungama and currently heads Gamitronics. Awards won include Indie Innovation Award, Casual Connect, Hamburg, Game of the year for Kung Fu Dhamaka Google Maiden Canvas Showcase SFVR Game of The Year.
Sutradhar Media & Communications director Rekha Nigam
Rekha has headed language dept in several agencies. She won the Ad Club Campaign of the year for Salaam Bombay and New York Ad festival gold for Ruf n Tuf jeans. She was programming head of Sony Entertainment Television, screenplay and dialogue writer for major Hindi films like “Parineeta” and “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.”
Earlier, the award governing council announced the inclusion of MullenLowe Lintas group chief creative officer and chairman Amer Jaleel, Elephant Design co-founder and director Ashwini Deshpande, Havas chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar, BC Web Wise founder and MD Chaaya Bharadwaj, DDB Mudra Group chief creative officer Rahul Mathew, and Leo Burnett CEO and chief creative officer for South Asia Rajdeepak Das on the Abbys 2022 jury panel. The panel this year also boasts of three international jury chairs namely, Menno Kluin, Aricio Fortes, and Myra Nussbaum, from the global advertising industry, who will be judging the Abbys 2022.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
